Zutara Week 2012
by avearia
Summary: Short Zutara drabbles to accompany this week's Zutara Week prompts. -finishing it late. Day 6: Faded – Katara shares the faded pictures of her friends with Young Iroh Junior.
1. Serendipity

I'm participating in the 2012 Zutara Week this year! I am doing one drabble each day for each of the prompts. In addition, each drabble will have a corresponding picture with it on my Deviantart account. You're welcome to go see it. I'm a touch worried I won't make every single day on time, (I've got a big, real life, write-for-money project that takes priority, and it's due Saturday... and Zutara Week took me by surprise this year.) But, I'll do my best. Wish me luck!

**Sunday, July 15th - Saturday, July 21st**

Day 1: **Serendipity – During a spirit attack, Zuko and Katara happen to meet on the road. **

* * *

Serendipity

"Fancy meeting you here," Zuko said lightly, almost teasingly.

His tone of voice certainly did not match the dire situation they were in. Around them, dark spirits swarmed, just out of reach from Zuko's dual swords, growls deep in their throats. Katara watched them warily, edging around until she was back-to-back with Zuko.

"This is no laughing matter, Zuko," she pointed out, drawing water from her pouch and settling into a firm stance. She paused, and added, in a voice just as teasing as his; "Besides, aren't you supposed to be at the peace summit?"

"Aren't YOU?" he asked, and almost laughed. She glared at him from the corner of her eyes, and he shrugged, "Sorry. I know I should focus."

He turned back to the spirits, his eyes roaming their dark features. "It's just… well." Zuko smiled. "I certainly wasn't expecting to see you **here.**" Fair enough—the chances of them BOTH missing the summit and meeting up at the threshold between the real world and the spirit world was highly unlikely.

She shrugged. "Serendipity, I guess."

"Maybe. But, I should really have expected you this time. After all—" …" Zuko was cut off right when a snakelike spirit shot out from the hoard, straight at them. Zuko raised his sword to block, but Katara pinned it to the ground before he could even blink.

Zuko smiled. "…You always seem to be here for me _right_ when I need you."

**A/N:**_ Hope you liked it! Please review. Remember: accompanying pictures are on my Deviantart account-the link can be found on my author profile page. See you next time!_


	2. Momentous

A/N: Ok, technically late, by two hours, but I'm swamped, so don't judge me (please?) eh, it's not like anyone is reading this story anyway... So: on with today's (yesterday's) prompt!

Day 2 - Momentous - Katara realized, in that moment...

* * *

Momentous

It was a momentous occasion.

Katara, however, was not enjoying herself as much as she'd hoped.

The Fire Nation's Spring festival was always a momentous occasion, but this year, the festival somehow felt even more important. Even before Fire Lord Zuko made the announcement, the rumors began circling—rumors that noted how happy the Fire Lord looked.

Rumors that commented on how the royal couple was mysteriously late for the festival.

Rumors that noted the beautiful Fire Lady was eating unusual foods, and perhaps the "weight" she seemed to be gaining wasn't 'weight' at all.

Well, the rumors were true. Fire Lady Mai was pregnant.

Zuko confirmed it, announcing the news proudly to the festival crowd as he introduced his "Beautiful" Fire Lady. And Mai, emotionless Mai, actually **blushed** when Zuko told her how happy he was to start his new family.

Katara didn't know why this bothered her so much. Zuko and Mai had been married for two years. Katara didn't want to marry, and she wasn't ready for a baby, so why did she feel so jealous of Mai?

"Katara!"

She spun around to see Zuko approaching her, dressed in full Fire Lord regalia. He was positively glowing, with light in his eyes and a smile on his lips. His voice had grown deeper since they last met, and he let out a hearty laugh. "I'm so glad you could make it," he said, touching her shoulder. "How have you been?"

Katara had never seen Zuko so happy. The sight of his handsome face and the smile in his eyes made admiration bloom in her chest, and when he touched her shoulder, butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

Suddenly, Katara realized it, and that moment changed her life forever.

_'I'm in love with Zuko…'_ Katara thought quietly to herself.

* * *

Momentous:

The moment that Mai announces she is pregnant  
The moment that Katara realizes she loves Zuko  
and the moment that Zuko moves just out of reach.

Katara, your timing is terrible. You should've made this realization, what, 2 years ago? :)


	3. Transcend

Day 3: **Transcend – **_Katara ascends to the spirit world. _

* * *

Yue was dying.

Or, more accurately, her lifeforce was fading. The moon would go dark soon, and the Avatar couldn't do anything about it. He said Yue needed lifeforce from another person willing to give it; more specifically, from a waterbender who already drew strength from the moon.

By the time Zuko arrived in the North Pole, preparations had already been made. He found Katara in a secluded room in the Palace, already dressed in the sacrificial robes.

When he saw her, he said the first thing on his mind. "Don't go," he begged, taking hold of her hand. "There must be someone else—_anyone _else—"

Katara smiled, but there was sadness in her eyes. "Yue's my friend, Zuko. I can't let her die. I _volunteered _for this."

"But—but you'll die!" he looked down. "Why is Aang letting you do this?"

"He—he knows it's for the good of the world. Letting go of physical things, you know. Avatar stuff." Katara explained, but Zuko could see that she was hurt. Hurt that Aang hadn't tried to stop her? Before he could sort out that logic, Katara smiled at him. "Don't think of it as dying. Think of it as… transcending to a higher plane of existence."

"Where we can't reach you," Zuko said. "Where you can't reach us."

But her eyes were set, and Zuko knew there was no talking her out of it now. "I'm going to do this, Zuko," she said firmly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He wanted to tell her how much he'd miss her. How much he cared for her. How he wanted to stay with her, to protect her, to hold her close… But he was never good with words.

Hesitating, he leaned in and kissed her, gently, on the lips. The last contact he could make with her before she…

When he pulled away, his vision of her was blurred by the tears in his eyes. "Forgive me," he whispered, and fled.

That night, after the ceremony that sent Katara, body and soul, to the spirit world, Zuko walked alone on the North Pole's tundra. The moon was shining bright above him, a clear sign that Katara's sacrifice had not been in vain.

It hurt to look at it. Tears were frozen in his eyes.

"Come back," he whispered.

And, miraculously, she heard him. Like a ghost, she descended from the sky, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Her transparent skin was like mist touching his; her hair, rays of moonlight.

She leaned close and returned the kiss he'd given her, just as passionate, just as loving. It took his breath away.

"I'll always be with you, Zuko," she whispered, and vanished into the night.

* * *

These drabblets just seem to keep getting longer and longer, don't they?


	4. Whimsical

_OK, I'm terribly behind, but I'm finishing Zutara Week because I can. _

_For the record, this one was up on time on Deviantart, as a comic. I had to convert it to 'drabble' form._

Day 4: **Whimsical –** Katara drags Zuko away from his paperwork to give him a carefree, whimsical day.

* * *

Whimsical

The stress of running a Nation was starting to get to Zuko.

Mind, Zuko was always grumpy, and short, and irritable, so it was sometimes difficult to gage how stressed he was. Katara was one of the few could sense it; she could see the strain in his eyes, and the subtle, tense tremors in his hands.

When he started to withdraw, to become quiet and close himself off, Katara knew she had to do something. So against his—and his advisor's—will, she dragged him out of the palace and into a remote field, filled with nothing but grass, flowers, trees, and butterflies, to enjoy the beautiful day. She wanted to help him unwind.

But even though the sun was shining, and the sky was a brilliant blue, Zuko huddled in the shadows beneath a tree, slouching against the trunk and brooding. Katara wandered over with a handful of flowers and sat with him. "Come on, Zuko, lighten up," she smiled at him, hoping to tease a smile out of his frowning face. "Enjoy the beautiful day. Would you like a flower necklace?"

The thought of Zuko wearing a lei made her smile even wider, and her eyes flickered downwards.

Zuko heaved a sigh. "I can't, Katara," he grumbled, looking away. "It's just… I can't stop thinking about my Nation… my people…"

_You're a good leader, _Katara wanted to tell him, _You're worrying over nothing. Your uncle would be proud. _

Zuko took a deep breath and muttered, "…and all these recent assassination attempts…"

Katara's heart fell. There had been six attempts in the last month, including an attack by the Dai Lee, who were seeking to regain Azula's favor. Even Katara thought it was a bit overwhelming—and _Zuko _was the one who had to live with it. If he started to think about the assassinations, she'd never get him to smile.

"It's just," he sighed heavily, looking down. "I'm just worried that if I… if—if I…" his voice trailed off as a bright red butterfly came close to his face, gently fluttering its wings as it approached.

Gently, it fluttered right up to him, landing on the tip of his nose.

Katara bit back laughter. A moment ago, Zuko had seemed dead serious, but now, with a butterfly perched on his face, he looked nothing short of adorable.

Zuko just stared at the insect for a moment as it fanned its red wings open and closed. He wasn't quite sure how to react to the butterfly.

At last, Zuko spoke, his voice dry. "Katara. Help." He said flatly, staring cross-eyed at the butterfly that had landed on his nose. "I've been ambushed."

Katara smirked, leaning over to rest her arms on his knee. "Ambushed, you say?" she asked, amusement thick in her voice.

He started to laugh, his face lighting up like the sun. "Katara, I'm serious! This tickles!" he laughed, leaning back on his hands.

And just like that, Katara sensed all Zuko's muscles begin to unwind. He looked so innocent now, and so carefree, trying to laugh without disturbing the butterfly on his nose. Katara smiled, filled with admiration. "So, you were saying, tough guy?" she asked, and they laughed the day away.

* * *

_"We must never speak of this again," Zuko said once they stopped laughing and the butterfly fluttered off._

_Katara smirked. "Well. YOU won't, at least. How can I resist telling the others that I got to see the great Fire Lord Zuko laugh?"_

.

**A/N: **Butterfly: 1. Zuko: 0.


	5. Heartstrings

**A/N: **Just a reminder, all drabblets are accompanied with a picture on my Deviantart account, or at least, they will be once I get my act together.

Reviews/critique encouraged! – Ok, I got this one done... *fatigue*... two more to go. I'm gonna finish this even if it kills me. But in the meantime, enjoy!

Day 5: **Heartstrings – **Whenever Katara was away from the Fire Nation, she felt oddly sad.

* * *

Heartstrings

"Do you know why it hurts when you're far away from home?" her Gran-Gran once asked her.

When little Katara shook her head, Gran-Gran just smiled knowingly and said, "It's because our heartstrings are tied to the things we love. When we are far away from them—or they are far away from us—it pulls the strings tight, and makes our hearts hurt."

Katara always thought, growing up, that heartstrings would get tied to places. Her heartstrings, she reasoned, were tied to the igloo; the village; the south pole. When she first left to travel with Aang, her heart ached every night, missing home desperately.

But later on, as the ache faded, she found herself moving from place to place; she found new, beautiful places to love. The most beautiful of them all was the Fire Nation, and Fire Lord Zuko's palace. Whenever she left there, even to return to the South Pole, her heart would ache terribly. She wondered if the Fire Nation was, perhaps, her new home.

One day, however, she returned to the Fire Nation to find that Zuko was away from the palace, paying a visit to the Earth King, and wouldn't be back for a week.

During that trip, the Fire Nation was as beautiful as it always was.

But, nonetheless, her heart continued to ache.

Her heartstrings were always tied to the places she loved. But, Katara wondered if it was possible—could heartstrings be tied to people, too?

* * *

_Love is bittersweet, a tangle in the heart  
It makes your heart pound terribly and tear when you're apart.  
Come swiftly home, my dear; Run quick, and tarry not;  
It hurts to live with tearstained eyes and heartstrings tied in knots. _


	6. Faded

_All right, I've got Faded Done, too. Inspired by the new series, Avatar: Legend of Korra. Enjoy! _

Day 6: **Faded – **Katara shares the faded pictures of her friends with Young Iroh Junior.

* * *

Faded Pictures

"And this is your Grandfather when I first met him."

Katara and young Iroh sat together in the sitting room just outside Zuko's door. Zuko had taken sick, and Katara was brought in—but, the illness was not as serious as everyone feared. Katara assured everyone he would make a full recovery.

While the family waited, Katara decided to lighten the mood by pulling out her scrapbook. Zuko's grandson now sat with it displayed on his lap, opened to a random page.

He stared at the faded painting of the banished prince, eyes wide. "_This _is my grandfather?" he asked, surprised.

It was a portrait that Zuko was not fond of. His face set in a permanent scowl, his head shaved bald, all but for a small patch, which was tied back in a high horsetail.

"I… I've never seen him like this," Iroh confessed, leaning closer to the faded picture.

"Not many artists were willing to do a rendering of the banished prince," Katara confessed, eyes shining in mirth, "And Zuko grew his hair out not long after this. I'm sure that if any other portraits of him like this existed, he would've had them burned."

Iroh hid a smirk behind his hand. "I can see why. His hair, though, it's…"

"Bald?" Katara asked, smiling slyly at him.

"…I was going to be more tactful, but yes," Iroh said, tracing the picture's curved scalp. "That hairdo—what was he thinking?"

"It was the style back then," Katara explained with a shrug. She smiled, her eyes unfocused, as if seeing a far-off memory. "Though, I've always been fond of the ponytail."

Iroh studied Master Katara's face, then looked back at the collection of portraits on his lap. After all these years, Katara had saved this one picture of Grandfather Zuko, one to remind her of the first time they met. It was an old photo, and yet, Katara seemed so _fond _of it.

Iroh felt the faded portrait's rough paper beneath his fingertips, and wondered, faintly, if Katara ever had feelings for Zuko.

* * *

"_You sound a lot like he did, you know. Oh, it brings back memories." _

_A/N: Ok, just one more to go, and I'll be set. The pictures that accompany these drabbles will be up on my Deviantart account soon, I think. ...I **think.** _

_(reviews and critiques encouraged.) _


End file.
